Treasure Hunting April 2016

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UniqueGold StaterFound

RomanCoin HoardUnearthed

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Readers’

Letters

Don’t bottle it up! If you feel strongly about something, or would just like toshare your experiences, thoughts or tips with other readers, write us a letter. Ayear’s subscription to Treasure Hunting (worth £45) goes to the best lettereach month. NB. If using E-mail please include your full name and address.

Address your letters to: The Editor, Treasure Hunting,Greenlight Publishing, 119 Newland Street, Witham, Essex CM8 1WFE-mail: [email protected]

8 www.treasurehunting.co.uk April 2016

Gwyn wins a year’s subscription to Treasure HuntingWINNING LETTER

My FruitfulFields

I have been taking TreasureHunting for the past 20 years,and look forward to my copyevery month.

In the last couple of years Ihave had some cracking finds,the best coin probably being aDurotriges silver stater, whichis dated 1st century BC. I amalmost sure that it is the onlysilver stater that has been foundin Glamorgan, where I live.

My next brilliant find was aRoman hoard of 34 coins whichwere all copper dating fromAD 287-296. They involved twoemperors, Carausius and Allec-tus and apparently the latteremperor murdered the formerone. I had found, over sev-eral years about seven similarly-dated coins from the same fieldbut over quite a wide area.

It was quite exciting on theday that I found the Romanhoard. I found one coin, wan-dered about for about 30 min-utes and arrived back to whereI had found the original one. Ithen had another ‘bleep’ anddug out another coin, thenthe ‘bleeps’ kept coming andwithin 10 minutes I had 20coins in total. Two were evenstuck together.

I had to leave the area asI was going to watch a rugbyinternational in Cardiff butreturned the next day to thesame spot where I found 14more coins plus a round ringobject that probably held a bagwith the coins inside, as therewas no trace of a pot.

Steve Sell, Mark Lodvic andEdward Besley from the NationalMuseum in Cardiff came at alater date to inspect the site,and had a small dig, but nomore coins were found. Thehoard is now at the Museum

waiting for a Treasure Inquest.On the field where I found

the silver stater, I also found aRoman silver Republic coin ofFarat in poor condition, which

has been dated by the museumat c.60 BC.

Also on the field I foundeight hammered coins, and anice silver posy ring inscribedI like my choise which is nowwaiting for a Treasure Inquest.

On my own farm, on onefield where I have detected onfor 23 years, I found a small

Bronze Age hoard. A year ago Ifound an axe one evening witha small piece missing from it.The following evening I foundthe missing piece! The nextnight I found another brokenaxe but have never found theother part.

This autumn we ploughedthe field and cultivated deeplyand found another brilliantfind in the same area – it wasa beautiful decorated BronzeAge socketed spearhead in verygood condition. The museumnow has the axes and the

spearhead, provisionally datedto early to mid Bronze Age.They are both going forwardto Treasure Trove. I would haveloved to keep the spearhead, as

I’m sure it would have belongedto the chief of the tribe whowas living on our farm.

Somebody was here 3,500to 3,800 years ago, farmingthe same soil as myself andhunting the same pastures andwoodland.

This same field has yielded

many more finds – a 13thcentury religious copper seal,a Roman bucket mount, andabout a dozen hammeredcoins.

I also found a medievalbuckle, which is about the bestI’ve seen for a long time.

I mostly detect in the eve-nings because I’m still workingon the farm.

What a wonderful relax-ing hobby we all have. We all,I think, have lean times but

hang in there and hopefully acracking find or two will mate-rialise.Gwyn Rees,South Glamorgan, Wales

Early to midBronze Agespearhead.

Gwyn and the axes.

Bronze Age axes.

Some of the hoard of 34 Roman coins(two are stuck together) and a ringwhich could have held a bag.

Silver stater, possibly the onlyone found in Glamorgan.

Posy ring.

Alexandra IIIcoins, found ondifferent farms.


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Readers’ Letters

April 2016 www.treasurehunting.co.uk 9

Treasure hunting has been alife-long passion of mine.I started bottle digging wayback in 1977 and about fouryears ago my partner Sarahbought me my first detector

– she didn’t see much of meafter that!I’m always amazed at what

we find when out detecting,the historical value is priceless.My son Louis has a keen inter-est in history and detecting,and he came out with me lastweek on a new permission wehad gained.

We were eager to startas we were trying out anew machine, the CTX 3030which we had just purchasedfrom Joan Allens. After some

adjustments and a few musketballs we had a strong two-waysignal – 12, 33. This was sucha clear signal for what turnedout to be a very deep target. Itresulted in our first hammered

groat. Then we had signal aftersignal until all went quiet. Wehad a look at what we had just dug – 23 silver groats,one nice French hammered anda clipped hammered penny –making 25 coins in total.

Louis is now hooked as youcan imagine and now wants hisown machine. It was a day weboth won’t forget, and a price-less memory my son will keepforever.Malc Shepherd,North Wales

Hoard ofGroats

I recently responded to arequest on social media torecover a lost hearing aid. Itbelonged to a young boy Zak,aged nine, who had lost oneof his implanted hearing aids inthe recently fallen snow. Theseare of high importance to Zakand his family, as without themhe cannot hear at all.

The message was postedby his mother who had spentan hour searching for the lostimplant with some friends but

they had been unable to find it.She was looking for some-

body to help who had a detec-tor, so I stepped in.

I was more than willing tohelp as I could understand theneed to recover the item, so Iloaded my Deus into the carand set off.

Zak, his mother and I wentto the field and after an hourof searching in the snow I gota signal. I removed the snowand there it was! Zak was veryexcited as he could now hearagain!

Hopefully this has inspiredhim to take up detecting ashe was very interested in the

way the machine worked. Thisstory has since been shared onsocial media but if this is sharedamongst fellow detectorists, itmight inspire other people todo the same! I want to promotethe hobby and its ethics andbelieve this is a great way todo that.

Scott Hands, Nottingham

Lost and Found

Scott and Zak.

At my club, The East NorfolkMDS, we have a ‘Worst Find’category every month whichI had the dubious honour ofwinning at our January meet-ing. The find in question wasa wrecked, but fairly new Sam-sung mobile phone.

After using it to win thatprestigious prize, I managed toremove its memory card andplaced it in my own phone.

Among all the photos on thecard was a photo of a Slimmer’sWorld certificate with a lady’sname on it.

I decided to search Face-book to see if I could locateher, which was quite easy as herFacebook page was festoonedwith photos of her pet dog,which were also on her phone.This made it easily recognisablefrom all the other people withthe same name.

She lived nearby to the fieldwhere I had found the phone soI was able to return it. A trac-

tor wheel had trashed it – butat least she had her preciousphotos back!

The lady had lost the phonewhen walking her dog in the

field on a public footpath thatcrosses it. This happened in the

summer, when all the barleywas still in crop. I was amazedthat the memory card was stillreadable after being run over bya tractor at harvest time, then

being exposed to six months ofweather.

It isn’t quite the same asreturning a long lost weddingring, but she was really pleasednonetheless!Andy Carter, Norfolk

While out with SHRADS inSouth Gloucestershire in Octo-ber with my trusty White’s DFXI came across a very mangledand bent Christening bracelet.

The rest of the day passed

fairly uneventfully and whenI got home I decided to cleanit. Having taken off the grimeand stains I noticed that onthe inside it had an engravedname of ‘Lindsey Maria Wil-liams’. That got my interest andI ended up contacting a localpaper who published an articleseeking Lindsey.

A week later I receivedan email from her telling me

that she had lost the braceletin fields close to her homeover 40 years ago. Follow-ing an exchange of emails we

arranged to meet up and I wasable to reunite Lindsey with herbracelet. The story was pickedup by the Western Daily Press and even appeared in the DailyMirror . She was really pleasedto have the bracelet returnedand it was an opportunity topromote the hobby of metaldetecting.Nick Keeler, SHRADSChairman, Gloucestershire

Just visible, thenames ‘Lindsey

Maria Williams’.

Lindsey and

Nick withthe bracelet.

Malc and Louis.


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News and

Views


Cuts in Norfolk Graeme Simmonds has let us know that the funding/staffing cuts to the Historicand Recording Service proposed by Norfolk County Council have been dropped due to theamount of opposition. “This is a brilliant outcome, and it means that we can go forward inconfidence knowing that Norfolk can remain at the forefront of recording our heritage.”

On 22 January we began theNew Year with a short talk andan Exchange & Mart. MemberTony Holmes gave a talk on the

Copper Coinage of the Urtu-qids and Atabegs whose ter-ritories covered land in what isnow around south east Turkeyand north east Iraq. As usualTony demonstrated his depthof knowledge about some littleknown coins about which fewamongst his audience knewanything! This was followedby some lively dealing duringwhich several coins and othernumismatic items, includingbooks changed hands.

At our meeting on 18 MarchRichard Kelleher will speak

on ‘Medieval coin finds fromEast Anglia’. Call Bob Thomason 01277 656627 or 07798786886.Bob Thomas, Hon. Sec.

EssexNumismatic

Society

UK DETECTOR NET held anotherChristmas Draw during thefirst few weeks in Decemberas it has done for numerousyears now. The on-line forumhas always raised money for

charities since its foundation inSeptember 2002.

The charity chosen by themembers was Macmillan CancerCare and the forum purchased aDeus metal detector to be usedas the main prize. Other prizeswere donated by forum spon-sors Treasure Hunting, Regton,

C.Scope, Minelab, White’s andCrawfords. Museum Reproduc-tions and Alisdair Menzies alsooffered further prizes.

To maintain the integrity ofthe Draw the ticket stubs weresent to Nigel Ingram of Regtonwho performed and videoedthe draw and placed the resulton YouTube for all to see.

After re-paying the cost ofthe Deus and after expenseswere deducted, UK DETECTOR

NET had raised the incrediblesum of £874.25p for MacmillanCancer Care.

We would like to thankall the sponsors for their kinddonations but in addition wouldlike to thank everyone on theforum who purchased a ticketor several tickets. Without you

guys we wouldn’t have raised asingle penny for Macmillan.

UK DETECTOR NET is a freeon-line forum with no hiddenmember areas. We were thefirst UK metal detecting forumand we pride ourselves on ourfriendly atmosphere, informa-tive staff, free monthly maga-zine and lively discussions.Visit us and register at www.forumukdetectornet.co.uk Brian Cross

UKDN Christmas Draw

Forum member Ruslan withhis first prize of the Deusdetector.

It was a lovely Sunday morningin October, when my brotherBob and I were at the MetalDetectives Dig at Effingham.The farm we were returningto had produced a few Saxonitems before in different fields,so we couldn’t wait to get thecoil swinging on these newfields.

We started at 9am but aftera couple or so hours I had only

found a few modern buttonsand pennies. I wondered if itwasn’t going to be my day,as I had to leave at 1pm for afamily dinner.

With the time ticking by,I spotted an interesting fieldwith an old looking mansionadjacent to it, and I thought Iwould give it a go.

It was now midday andtime was running out for me– I headed over the field andabout 30 minutes later, onmy XP Deus, operating on GMpower (programme 2), which Ihad altered to my preference,

I received a faint signal withno readout on my screen. Thewhisper in my ears enticed mydesire to pursue, thus I com-menced digging. I carried onuntil the plug was about 12inches deep, the full length ofthe spade.

Then I noticed the backof a round looking item fac-ing up at me, which lookedlike a cartwheel penny at first.

I removed it from the hole,turned it over and thought Ihad found a mosaic brooch.With excitement I headed tomy brother, Bob to show himthe find. I hadn’t even noticedit had a face until my brothersarcastically remarked “He isn’tvery nice is he?”

The FLO on site was DavidWilliams from Surrey, whoshowed a great pleasure in thisitem and while photographingit had a bright gleam in his eye.I could see this was a very spe-

cial and important find.I headed home for my

lunch and I must say, in my30 years detecting this is mymost exciting and importantfind ever!

As for the brooch, Davidweighed and measured it andconfirmed it was a cloisonnébrooch from c.AD 900-1100.He explained that this wouldperhaps be the first one on

the PAS database with a facedesign as previously similarbrooches had more of a crossor flower design.

Now the really bizarre part!Everyone has heard of KingAlfred the Great who ruledbetween 871-899 in the king-dom of Wessex in the south ofEngland.

Back in 1693 in a quiet fieldin North Petherton in Somersetsomebody found a gold itemwhich we now know was madefor King Alfred or in his name

thereby dating it to betweenthe years 871 and 899.

That gold item is The AlfredBrooch which is currently in theAshmolean Museum in Oxford-shire.

Although my brooch isdated 900-1100, I think thatthe design and colours are verysimilar.

Perhaps this shows greatworkmanship – trades beingpassed down the line in thefamily, or that maybe someyears later somebody had alsoseen this design on somethingto replicate this similar picture?

The truth is we shall prob-ably never completely under-stand Anglo-Saxon fashiondesigns and be able to datetheir intricate items with greatdetail, but it is very interestingto have such rare and greatdesigns that are very similar in

style but so many years apart.W. Brunning

The Cloisonné BroochMy cloisonné brooch. The

AlfredBrooch.


11/92

News and Views


A hoard of 3,339 Roman coinsunearthed by accident by a JCBdriver on a recreation groundin Yeovil could be worth asmuch as £175,000. They datefrom the 2nd and 3rd centuriesAD, a time when the Romansregularly marched through thethen-village, on the Fosse Way– the main road between Exeterand Lincoln.

The massive collection ofsilver coins includes those withdepictions of various emperors,as well as an elephant and evena hippopotamus.

Mark Copsey discovered thecoins in March 2013, whenhe was levelling the recreationground for a hockey pitch andspotted something green in thesoil behind him.

He said, “I stopped mymachine, got out, investigatedand discovered a broken potwith some sort of coins.”

Mark put them in a plasticcarrier bag, before reportingthe incredible find.

The coins have now beencleaned and examined by TheBritish Museum, which believesthey were buried in around AD270. They include 164 silverdenarii , four brass sestertii andthe rest are radiates.

Some of the coins carry theheads of empresses, and oth-ers emperors, including Philip I,born in Syria of a Syrian father,around AD 204.

The denarii come fromthe reigns of Antoninus Pius,Septimius Severus, Caracalla,Macrinus, Elagabalus, SeverusAlexander, Maximinus I andGordian III. The four sestertii

were minted under RomanEmpress Faustina II, Lucilla (thesecond daughter of RomanEmperor Marcus Aurelius) andCommodus, Roman Emperorfrom 180 to 192 with MarcusAurelius.

The British Museum saidsome of the coins were madeduring a time of inflation andcould in theory all have circu-lated at the same time in the3rd century.

A report by the coroner whoexamined the coins said, “Coinsissued prior to the reign of theemperor Septimius Severus (AD

193-211) whose major debase-ment of the silver coinage madeearlier coins attractive to thosewishing to remove them to takeadvantage of their higher silvercontent, are almost absent andthis fits a known pattern forBritish hoards deposited at thistime.”

The discovery at the sitehas triggered an archaeologi-cal investigation that revealed asmall Roman settlement.

Mark described finding thecoins as “Brilliant”, he added;“When I found the hoard Idid everything I could to act

correctly and do everythingabove board.

“When I’m driving it’s ahealth and safety rule to lookbehind me as well, that’s howI spotted them. The dozer tookthe top off the pot before Iknew it was there, I’m afraidit’ll do that every time. I’m stillworking on archaeological digswith the dozers so hopefully Imight find some more.”(Extract from The Daily Mail sent in by Mark Davison)

JCB Driver UnearthsRoman Hoard

The Yeovil RecreationGround where the hoard wasunearthed.

Mark Copsey, the finder.

Below: the massive collectionof silver coins includesthose with depictions ofvarious emperors, as well asa hippopotamus (pictured).The obverse depicts Philip I’s

wife Otacilia Severa.

These coins with an elephant onone side bear the bust of Philip I‘the Arab’ on their obverses. He

was Roman Emperor betweenAD 244-249. The coins were

minted in Rome.

A selection ofradiates.

UK DETECTOR NET is the pre-mier metal detecting forum inthe UK and has been runningover 20 years – one of the long-est running and most popularmetal detecting forums in exist-ence. Our member list is inexcess of 7500. We promote

responsible detecting, bringingtogether like-minded folks todiscuss anything and everythingabout metal detecting.Andrew Ramsden

UKDN January Findsof the Month

Willie theWizard

Returns!He is back writing for us,and the first article ofhis new series on ‘Suc-cessful Beach Detecting’

will appear in the May2016 issue. These articleswill contain many helpfulhints and tips.

The winningentry for Coinof the Month

achieved 36% ofthe votes and goesto Nigel Wright (Obby) with hisuninscribed Celtic gold stater –chute type, 70 BC.

The winning entry for the Artefact of the Month goesto Norman Phillips (tinnersdad)with his find of an Iron Agemustache chape that gained48% of the votes.


12/92

News and Views


As I write it’s that time of theyear again when the harvesthas been gathered in and thefields have been sown in prep-aration for next year’s crops.

Those detectorists luckyenough to have amenablefarmers/landowners who areprepared to let them detectuntil the crops start showingthrough may only have a lim-ited time to detect before thegreen shoots of next year’scrops reach a size where it getsdifficult to scan the ground

properly and it becomes unten-able to search. Most detector-ists will understand that if thehard work of ploughing andplanting is not to be undonein the pursuit of our hobbythen alternative sites will needto be sought. Of course thereare always pasturelands, riverforeshores and even beachesto fall back on for those luckyenough to live within strikingdistance of the coast.

The majority of farmers/ landowners in this countrytake great pride in their landand their stewardship of thesame. This is evidenced by thecare and attention to detailthat can be viewed whetherfrom the family car or the trainwhilst passing through thecountryside of the multi col-oured patchwork that denotescrops and pastures that makesour countryside such a beauti-ful place to live and detect.

Many of these lands willhave been handed downthrough the ages to offspringover several, possibly hun-

dreds of years. Many farm-ers/landowners see themselvesnot only as landowners but asguardians of the countryside

for the time that their steward-ship exists.

With this in mind and thereliance that we, the hobby-ists put upon our relationshipswith landowners, it is only fairthat we play our part in ensur-ing that our responsibilitiesreflect the importance that weplace upon these relationshipswith our landowning hosts.

To this end the NCMD’sCode of Conduct states in itsfirst five articles:-

1. Do not trespass. Obtainpermission before ventur-ing on to any land.

2. Respect the Country Code,leave gates and propertyas you find them and donot damage crops, frightenanimals or disturb nestingbirds.

3. Wherever the site, do notleave a mess or an unsafesurface for those who mayfollow. It is perfectly simpleto extract a coin or othersmall object buried a fewinches below the ground

without digging a greathole. Use a suitable dig-ging implement to cut aneat flap (do not removethe plug of earth entirelyfrom the ground), extractthe object, reinstate thegrass, sand or soil carefully,and even you will have dif-ficulty in locating the findspot again.

4. If you discover any liveammunition or any lethalobject such as an unex-ploded bomb or mine, do

not disturb it. Mark thesite carefully and report thefind to the local police andlandowner.

5. Help keep Britain tidy.Safely dispose of refuseyou come across.

These rules are commonsense you may think. It maybe that you would never breakany of these rules or endangeryourself or others. But what ifyou accidentally or inadvert-ently broke any of these ruleswhich then led to damage

or even loss of life to man orbeast?The consequences could

be financially and emotionally

Joining the NCMDA personal note from the President

John Wells

devastating for both detector-ists and landowners not tomention the physical damageto livestock and farm equip-ment with costs possibly run-ning to hundreds of thou-sands of pounds to replace.For example, in 2012 a prizebull named Fabio belongingto a Welsh farmer smashedthe world record-selling priceat auction for a staggering£126,000. A similar animallike this would be difficult andcostly to replace.

Complicated farm equip-ment could be damaged andput out of action for daysor weeks if metallic litter,unearthed and left non-dis-posed of accidently, was leftto be picked up by combineharvesters and similar farmingmachinery.

In order to mitigate theseeventualities and to ensurethat our landowning hostsare not injured or put out ofpocket then it would seememinently sensible that respon-sible detectorists should insurethemselves against any thirdparty accidents.

The National Council forMetal Detecting has for thepast 34 years sought to protectits members both physicallyand financially by represent-ing its membership at the veryhighest levels in discussions

with government agencies,archaeological bodies, envi-ronment agencies, the Treas-ure Valuation Committee andorganisations such as the Brit-ish Museum. The NCMD hasdone more for the hobby ofmetal detecting than any otherorganisation so therefore it iswell placed to offer protectionto its members in the form ofa reliable and genuine thirdparty insurance policy.

During those years theinsurance cover obtainedby the NCMD has allowedits members to pursue theirhobby without fear, safe inthe knowledge that its genu-ine insurance cover has beenavailable to them for a fraction

of the costs they would haveincurred had they tried to getinsurance for themselves.

If an individual were to tryto obtain third party insurancefor coverage of £10,000,000,the costs according to insur-ance experts, would be inthe region of £300 plus perannum. A prohibitive sumindeed and one that f inanciallywould be out of reach of mosthobby detectorists.

Currently, the membershipsubscription to the NCMD is at£8 per year. For this you notonly get third party cover for£10,000,000 but you also getthe backing of a serious organ-isation run by volunteers thatis listened to and respected atthe highest levels in this coun-try. A feat not repeated by anyother organisation for the past

34 years.Where the NCMD has ledothers have followed. Butnone have provided such ahigh level of representation orlevel of insurance cover.

In order to obtain thisinsurance cover detectoristsneed to join the NCMD.

Many clubs and individualscurrently enjoy their hobby,safe in the knowledge thatgoing out and enjoying thebest hobby in the world isnot going to end in financialdifficulties for themselves and

landowners.Membership cards are

available annually from theNCMD and run from 1 Aprilto 31 March of the followingyear and can be obtained fromthe NCMD through its centralregister or any of its regionalorganisations.

More information on join-ing the NCMD can be obtainedby going to its website atwww.ncmd.co.uk John Wells, PresidentNational Council for MetalDetecting


13/92

News and Views


On a cold dark January morn-ing at 5.30am, I pulled intothe lay-by next to my favouriteRoman site and took my GarrettAce 250 and 11 inch DD coilalong the footpath onto mypermission.

I switched to ‘coin mode’and took the sensitivity downa notch. Targets were few and

far between to start with – onlya couple of small scraps of leadand a Brownies’ badge.

It was starting to get lightand I had just started to makemy way towards the centre ofthe field when a nice clear sig-nal rang in my ear, registering‘pull tab’ on the display.

I carefully pin-pointed it and

dug a small, neat square clodaround 4 inches deep. I sweptthe coil over the clod and con-firmed the target was insidesomewhere. I broke the clod inhalf and something round andweighty dropped out. I imme-diately started to clean it up,and at first glance I thought Imay have found a Celtic gold

stater, due to the unmistakableancient horse design. However,this was bigger and heavierthan I had imagined and thenI realised that I had indeedunearthed a gold stater!

The next few hours were abit hazy as after posting pho-tos on ‘Dig This’ and request-ing identification, it becameapparent that I had dug upan unpublished Dubnovellau-nos un-inscribed full gold staterwhich weighs 5.45gm and iscompletely unique! Thank youto Liz and Chris Rudd for theinformation.

After lengthy discussionswith the landowner, it wasagreed that the coin will besold in May by TimeLine Auc-tions who will arrange the pub-licity and promotion with thefinal hammer price being splitbetween myself and the land-owner.Charles Gibbons

Unique GoldStater Found

Unearthing the unpublished rare coin.

The Dubnovellaunosfull gold stater.

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14/92


15/92


16/92

y middle son Oliver hadbeen pestering me for along time to let him havea go with my TekneticsT2 SE. I tried (despite the

detector being my pride and joy) to let

him have a go with it; however, it wassimply too large for him as he is only 10 years old.

When the Teknetics Digitek juniordetector arrived I put it together withOliver. We found it very simple toassemble, and to be honest he couldhave done it on his own, including fit-ting the battery.

One thing I did notice is that the coilcable connector to the control box wasa simple plug with a notch for orienta-tion. I have three boys and know howham fisted and clumsy they can be, so

I was slightly concerned that it did nothave the more robust screw-in knurledconnector that is pretty much standardon most other machines I have used inthe past. However, saying that maybe it

is a blessing as if the cable gets caughtor pulled it will simply pop out withoutcausing major damage.

The use of a 9 volt PP3 battery overseveral AA batteries (in, say, a slide outcompartment) is also a lot easier for a

little person to understand and replace.I would, however, have liked to see thecover on the battery compartment fit-ted with a small rubber lanyard to makesure it doesn’t get lost.

Pasture FieldThe first site on which we tested theDigitek was a highly mineralised pas-ture field on the banks of the RiverThames. I have to say how quickly wemanaged to set the detector up and getOliver going.

While Oliver had a bite to eat and a

drink I quickly buried a 1p, a 20p, anda rather large old rusty nail for him totry to find. He soon got the grasp ofthe clear two tone signal and what itindicated.

I set off with myself using the FisherF22 and Oliver with the Digitek. He wassoon finding the good signals; however,I did notice some interference betweenthe machines when we were in closeproximity. The Digitek was sounding offfrom the interference, but the F22 wasstill working although the audio wassuffering distortion.

One thing in its favour was that it

was not getting any interference fromthe Garret pinpoint probe. But whenOliver got the hang of the machine fit-ted with the small coil it came with, hedidn’t need to use the pinpointer to digany targets.

One impressive recovery showedme how good this machine could be interms of discrimination. One hole wedug produced a small piece of bronzebut upon further investigation, to tryand see if there were any more bits inthe hole, we found a little lump of rustyiron.

Newly Sown Field We next went to a newly sown field onthe Foss Way (one of the oldest roadsin England). The soil mainly consisted



We found a little

lump of rusty

iron.

Various finds

including several

small bullets and a

Royal Navy button.

Oliver following up on

signals in the field.


17/92

of chalk and flint, therefore groundmineralisation was not an issue. How-ever, this farm has unknowingly spreada large amount of junk-contaminatedgreen waste over its fields, which canbe rather taxing for even a seasoneddetectorist.

Even among this, Oliver managedto pull out several small bullets and arather old and attractive Royal Navy

button. It was nice to see him gettingon so well and so fast with the Digitek,and it has shown me that this machineis no toy even with its ‘cool’ decoration.

I can safely say that Oliver will soonfind his first silver coin or nice artefact with it and I look forward to seeing hisface when he does.

Fisher F11 SearchMy first foray with the F11 was in themargins of a corn field. Funnily enough,the main field itself is pretty bare offinds but I know from past experience

that the edges have produced someinteresting finds (including a medievalsilver ring, a ship jetton etc.). Thereforeduring the ‘off season’ it’s a reasonableplace to have a go.

I again took my middle son Oliver with me who had come to grips withthe Fisher F22, while I decided to exper-iment with the lower range F11.

My first good signal was a small

musket ball recovered at around 6inches. This gave me confidence thatthe machine was going deep enoughinto the soil to find targets that I wouldnormally only be finding with the T2SE.

While I took a breather Oliver tookover with the F11 and within a fewminutes came up with a very delicatemedieval buckle; it was only just over1cm and very unusual with a doublering design.

Our search continued and the usualfield finds fell to the F11: a spindle

whorl and musket balls. But not sousual was a rather nice strap end withline and chevron markings; it is prob-ably medieval in date.

The next outing with the F11 would

really put it to the test coping with con-taminated ground.

My older brother had located anold well on his property and had paida specialist contractor to make it func-tional again. He was also having anelectric gate installed and needed to runan armoured power cable the lengthof the garden to get power to his frontdrive. His house is early Victorian indesign, so I jumped at the opportunityto give him some help.

The well itself was back filled withall sorts of rubble, and his made fora great test of the discrimination andrecovery speed of the F11.

Within the first couple of barrow


Matt Brown

Fisher F11 at

the edge of a

corn field.

Buckle, spindle

whorl, musket

balls and a strap

end with line

and chevron

markings

(probably

medieval).

Exploring the well (above); and

the garden of my brother’s early

Victorian house showing power

cable trench (right).


18/92

loads I had found a George

V farthing, but not much elsecame up that day apart froman old gas lamp fitting, loadsof old milk bottle tops, and

what I think was the end of a hair pin.I was however awaiting the final fewbarrow loads that would have been thesediment settled at the bottom of the well.I first pulled out a Victoria ‘bun head’halfpenny in lovely condition. Thiscoin was quickly followed by two more young Victoria pennies. I have to say I was getting excited. However, at that

point the finds seemed to dry up. Mylast find (under the ‘tarp’ but near thesurface so I did not disturb the lawnunderneath) was a Young Head silverthreepenny piece.

My next experiments with the newFisher series was a rather wet and windy affair. I had chosen a small fieldnear a large manor house that we hadonly spent a few minutes on before. Asstated, the weather was not so goodand at its worst was lashing it down. Atthis point Oliver retired to the car for ahot drink and his packed lunch, while I

continued to test the F22. As luck would have it, the machinemanaged to produce a rather nice King John cut half hammered penny. A lot ofpeople grumble about halves; however,

I like them as it shows that a detector can

pick up a very small target. The depth was a pretty impressive 5-6 inches. Icould attribute this to the wet condi-tions allowing for more depth; however,is nonetheless a good indication ofperformance.

I found that although there is theoption for specific coin and jewellery,or artefact preset programmes, that if Iutilised the custom setting and rampedthe machine up full that I was hittinga lot more targets. Using this setting Irecovered a nice George IV halfpennyat a respectable 7 inches in green waste

contaminated ground.My final signal of the day before

being beaten by the British weathermade me smile as it was yet anothernavy button, this time silver not gilded.I have to admit I am not a button aficio-nado; however, these finds have mademe want to gain a better understandingof the time periods surrounding mili-tary buttons.

Overall I was impressed with thequality and performance of the F22; thebuild is good and I was glad to see thecoil to control box connector was the

conventional more sturdy knurled lockaffair rather than a push in type of theDigitek.

Further Fisher F22 TestsI had recently returned from a week’s vacation in Norfolk, and I have to sayfrom the start that the weather wasterrible; but this did give me the oppor-tunity to test the waterproof nature ofthe Fisher F22 and its other features.

I wanted to get to know a specificpre-set mode to use, as normally I cus-tom set my machine each time I am in

the field, depending on the conditionsand what finds I know likely to be pre-sent (coins or artefacts).

I decided that the best mode to start with would be the ‘artefacts’ mode as



Young Victoria

‘bun head’

halfpenny

in lovelycondition.

King John cut half

hammered penny.

George IV halfpenny.

Sunshine

and

showers.

Naval

button.

Oliver.


19/92

this would give me a fully open set up

without discrimination or notching. Itis very similar to my ‘go to’ tone settingfor the T2 of 2+. Using this I can hear when I am moving in on a hot spot withthe ferrous grunts and broken tones as well as hearing those sweet beeps ofgood targets.

I have been to this permission inNorfolk for my annual family holidayon a yearly basis for a while now. I haveseveral different areas or ‘hot spots’that I hone in on based on the weather,and the machine I am using.

This year, as ever, most of where I

wanted to go was under seed or waisthigh in crop growth having been laidfallow for the season. This I have to saymade my heart sink as we drove in onthe first day.

We had a visit from the farmer that we rent the barn conversion from onthe first night. I mentioned the lack offields to detect on, but he told me thatthere was a field where he had just upthe first ‘earlies’ (the early crop of pota-toes) this being the top field.

I had only found one decent coin with my T2 SE from past visits to this

area, this being a lovely chunky sester-tius of Lucilla. The field, though, hadalso been used by the Royal Air Forceduring the Second World War, so I was hoping to find some evidence ofthis.

I only had an hour or so to getcracking, as my dinner was in the ovenand the evening was closing in fast. Ata very respectable depth of 5 inches Ipulled out a rather interesting token.It turned out to be an 18th century‘hand loom’ token minted in 1792 andshowing the coat of arms of the city of

Norwich.I continued on with the usual sus-pects turning up: Victorian coinage,Elizabeth II coinage, musket balls, aspindle whorl, a broken annular buckle,

and a nice little Jacobean ‘cooking pot’shoe buckle dating from the 1690s.

The only bit of military history Imanaged to find was a Border Regi-ment sweetheart brooch dating back toFirst World War, so the military historyhere goes back further than expected.

I couldn’t resist putting off dinnerfor a little while and I am glad that I did

for within those few minutes I pulledout two Roman fibula brooches. I lookforward to my Norfolk holiday visit next year.

Matt Brown


Rainbow horizon.

Finds including

Victorian coinage,Elizabeth II coinage,

musket balls,

a spindle whorl,

a broken annular

buckle, and a

Jacobean shoe

buckle dating from

the 1690s.

18th century token.

TH

Roman

fibulabrooches.


20/92

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22/92

IntroductionThis month I conclude my examinationof the long reign of Elizabeth I and thecoins produced in her name. (Fig.1).

The End of Elizabeth’s ReignThe final two decades of Elizabeth’sreign are dominated by one event –the Spanish Armada. Philip II of Spain(1556-98), a one-time marriage candi-date for Elizabeth, was determined toend her Protestant rule of England. On12 July 1588 a fleet comprising 130 ships

set sail from Coruña for the EnglishChannel with the intention of ferry-ing an invading force from the SpanishNetherlands (Fig.2). Philip’s aim wasto overthrow Elizabeth and thus endEnglish interference in the Netherlands, while at the same time obviate theimpact of Dutch and English privateerson Spanish vessels. The Armada was astrategic disaster for Philip (Fig.3).

The English fleet engaged the Span-ish off of Plymouth using their superiorspeed to bombard the ships with cannon while avoiding close-quarters fighting.

At Gravelines (15 miles southwest fromDunkirk, France) the English managedto destroy five ships while severely dam-aging many others. They pursued theSpanish as far as the Firth of Forth

forcing the fleet’s commander, the Dukeof Medina Sidonia, to chart the dan-gerous course home around the tip ofScotland and south along the west coastof Ireland. Many ships were wreckedor forced ashore and only 67 of the 130 vessels that set sail returned to Spain.The victory over the Armada was a hugeboost to English pride and to Elizabeth’slegacy (Fig.4).

Elizabeth’s Third Coinage(1583-1603) As with its predecessors the final coin-age of Elizabeth was struck exclusively

at the Tower mint in London. The rangeof denominations struck in gold wasexpanded during this period with thereturn of the sovereign, ryal and pound(Table 1).

Elizabeth’s sovereign (Fig.5) showedthe queen as she appeared on the sov-ereigns of the first coinage. The imageof the queen seen on the ryal was at thesame time traditional and innovative.

Traditional in the sense that Elizabeth isdepicted standing amidships in the clas-sic pose, but innovative in that the largefigure now holds orb and sceptre ratherthan sword and shield (Fig.6).

Part 3

Coins of the Tudors and Stuarts

Elizabeth I


Fig.1. Elizabeth I, engraving.

Fig.2. The Armada, as depicted in a painting.

Fig.3. Spain. Philip

II, silver half-

real, Barcelona ©

Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Gold Denomination Value

‘Fine’ gold Sovereign 30 shillings(23 ct 3½ gr.)

Ryal 15 shillings

Angel 10 shillings

Half-angel 5 shillings

Quarter-angel 2s 6d

‘Crown’ gold Pound 20 shillings(22 ct)

Halfpound 10 shillings

Crown 5 shillings

Halfcrown 2s 6d

Table 1. Value of gold coins of Elizabeth’s third coinage.


23/92

The angel, along with its half andquarter (Figs.7-9), continued as theyhad before, and are probably the mostcommon gold coin of the third coin-age to survive today. The large ‘crown’gold pound (Fig.10) carried a bust ofthe queen with long hair and a richlydecorated dress. The reverse inscrip-tion SCVTVM FIDEI PROTEGET EAM translates as ‘the shield of faith shallprotect her’. The smaller denominationsof half-pound, crown and halfcrown(Figs.11-13) adopted the same basic

design on an increasingly diminishedscale.The third coinage period also saw

changes in the provision of silver money.The large crown and halfcrown coins


Dr. Richard KelleherDepartment of Coins and Medals, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Fig. 4. Elizabeth I, Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588. Medal struck in

the Netherlands. © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The obverse depicts

the Pope Sixtus V, Bishops, the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, Philip II

of Spain, Henry I duke of Guise and other princes seated in consultation,

all blindfolded, seated on a floor of spikes. The inscription readsDVRVM

EST CONTRA STIMVLOS CALCITRARE – ‘It is hard to kick against the pricks’

(from Acts ix.5, a reference to the spikes at their feet), and O COECAS

HOMINVM MENTES O PECTORA COECA – ‘Oh! the blind minds, the blind

hearts of men’. On the reverse is the Spanish fleet as it is driven against

the rocks with sailors being thrown in the water. The inscription TV DEVS

MAGNVS ET MAGNA FACIS TV SOLVS DEVS translates as ‘Thou, God, art

great and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone’ (Psalm lxxxvi.10),

and within border VENI VIDE VIVE (come, see, live), 1588.

Fig.5. Elizabeth I, gold sovereign, i.m. escallop (1584/5-87) ©

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.6. Elizabeth I, gold ryal, i.m. escallop

(1584/5-87) © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.7. Elizabeth I, gold angel, i.m. bell (1582/3-

83) © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.8. Elizabeth I,

gold half-angel, i.m.

bell (1582/3-83) ©

Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.9. Elizabeth I,

gold quarter-angel,

i.m. bell (1582/3-

83) © Fitzwilliam

Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.10.

Elizabeth

I, gold

pound, i.m.

woolpack

(1594-

95/6) ©

Fitzwilliam

Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.11. Elizabeth I, gold half-pound,

i.m. woolpack (1594-95/6) © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.12. Elizabeth

I, gold crown,

i.m. tun (1591/2-

94) © Fitzwilliam

Museum,

Cambridge.


24/92

Coins of the Tudors and Stuarts Elizabeth I


were minted in silver (Figs.14 & 15) per-haps as a result of the influx of capturedSpanish treasure ships and, after a 20 year gap, shillings came into productionagain in significant numbers (Fig.16). Without the troublesome denomi-

nations of the second coinage (thethree-halfpence and three-farthings)the suite of silver coins took on a moresensible hierarchy: sixpence, twopence,penny and halfpenny (Figs.17-20). The

smallest of these coins, the halfpenny was of very simple design, with a sim-ple portcullis on the obverse and crossand pellets on the reverse. There wasconsideration at this time, if not anyconcrete action taken, for the introduc-

tion of base-metal pennies, halfpenniesand farthings, of which proof pieces areknown (Fig.21). Coins of Elizabeth werestruck in Ireland again in this periodafter a hiatus of 40 years. The base silver

coinage consisted of shillings, sixpencesand threepences (not illustrated) along-side an issue of pennies and halfpenniesin copper (Figs.22-25).

Fig.13. Elizabeth I, gold

half-crown, i.m. tun

(1591/2-94) © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.14. Elizabeth I, silver crown, i.m. 1 (1601-2)

© Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.15. Elizabeth I, silver

halfcrown, i.m. 1 (1601-2)

© Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.16. Elizabeth I, silver shilling, i.m.

tun (1591/2-94) © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.17. Elizabeth I, silver sixpence, i.m.

tun, dated 1692. The sixpences were the

only denominations to carry a date on the

reverse © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.


twopence, i.m. escallop

(1584/5-87) © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.


penny, i.m. A (1583-

84/5) © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.


halfpenny, i.m. A (1583-

84/5) © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.21. Elizabeth I, proof

copper penny, dated

1601 © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.22. Ireland. Elizabeth I, base silver

shilling © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.23. Ireland. Elizabeth I, base silver

sixpence © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.24. Ireland. Elizabeth I,

base silver penny © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.25. Ireland. Elizabeth I,

base silver halfpenny

© Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.


25/92

Scotland When Mary of Scotland abdicated in1567 her one year old son James becameking and immediately coins began tobe struck in his name. From this dateup until his assumption of the Englishthrone in 1603 a great variety of pieces were minted in Scotland, and these havebeen classified into eight separate coin-ages. The first coinage, ordered in Julyof 1567 did not include any gold piecesbut rather a large silver ryal (of 30 shil-

lings, sometimes called a ‘sword dollar’)and two-thirds and one-third fractions(Fig.26). On the reverse a hand pointsfrom one side of an upright sword to the value of the piece, either X, XX or XXX.

The second coinage brought in amagnificent gold twenty pound piecedepicting the young king half-lengthin armour and holding a sword (Fig.27)along with a new set of silver pieces –twomerks (‘thistle dollar’), merk, half merk(‘noble’) and quarter merk (‘half-noble’)(Figs.28 & 29). It was in this period, 1578to be precise, that a revaluation of theexisting silver coins took place. The priceof silver had risen sharply and thus thecoins were worth more by weight than

by their denominational value. The sim-ple solution was to call in the coins andcountermark them with a small thistle(as in Fig.26) a device seen on manycoins of Mary and James.

In the third coinage a new gold piece was introduced – the ducat – while thesilver consisted of shilling pieces in six-teen, eight, four and two multiples. Inthe fourth coinage a new gold lion nobleand its fractions were issued. These areextremely rare today and were struck with the image of a crowned lion onthe obverse; unusually this coin didnot carry the king’s name and titlesin the usual manner. The silver com-prised large coins of forty, thirty, twentyand ten shillings depicting a young,armoured figure of the king (Figs.30-

32).The fifth coinage gold coin borrowedfrom the English rose noble or ryal. Onthe obverse is a ship with the Scottisharms and on the reverse is a thistle with

Dr. Richard Kelleher


Fig.26. Scotland. James VI, first coinage, silver ryal,

dated 1570 © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.Fig.27. Scotland. James VI, second coinage, gold twenty

pound piece © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.32. Scotland.

James VI, fourth

coinage, silver

ten shillings

© Fitzwilliam

Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.28. Scotland. James

VI, second coinage, silver

half merk © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.29. Scotland. James

VI, second coinage,

silver quarter merk ©Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.30. Scotland. James VI, fourth coinage, silver

forty shillings © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.31. Scotland. James VI, fourth coinage, silver

twenty shillings © Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.


26/92


27/92

crossed sceptres and lions surroundedby thistles (Fig.33). No silver was struckin this coinage.

In the sixth period the single goldpiece was the eighty shilling hat piece which showed an older bust of the king(Fig.34) while the silver took the form of‘balance’ half and quarter merks fromtheir reverse design of a balance with asword (Fig.35). The seventh was a more

substantial coinage with the handsomerider and half-rider in gold (Figs.36 &37) and a silver set of coins – ten shil-lings, five shillings, thirty pence andtwelve pence (Figs.38-40).

Copper coins were also reintroducedin this period for the first time since the15th century. The final eighth coinageof 1601 had at the top the gold swordand sceptre piece and its half (Figs.41& 42) and the silver thistle merk and itshalf, quarter, and eighth (Figs.43-46).The need for small denomination coins was satisfied by the production of billon

coins such as the eight penny groat andhardhead (Figs.47 & 48).

Coins From Armada Wrecks

One of the enduring aspects to survive

from this period is the idea of buriedor sunken treasure. Indeed, companieshave been set up with the sole aim ofdiving wrecks to recover the contents.One such example, relevant to our story,is the wreck of La Girona. This ship wasa galleass of the Armada which found-ered and sank off Lacada Point, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on the nightof 26 October 1588 after making its

way eastward along the Irish coast. The wreck is noteworthy for the loss of lifethat resulted, and for the treasures sincerecovered.

In 1967 and 1968, off the coast ofPortballintrae a team of Belgian diversbrought up the greatest find of Spanish Armada treasure ever recovered froma wrecked ship. The Girona’s recov-ered gold jewellery is on show in theUlster Museum in Belfast (Fig.49). Thesilver coins include eight real pieces,also known to contemporaries and fansof pirate adventure stories as pieces of

eight.The eight real was arguably the first‘global’ coinage (Fig.50). The Spanishmines in their Mexican and South Amer-ican colonies yielded a vast amount

of silver. None more so than Potosí inmodern Bolivia which became knownas the ‘Silver Mountain’. The coins pro-

duced in mines in the Americas and inSpain flooded Europe and the rest ofthe world and are known from finds inthe Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, theIndian Ocean and China.

Dr. Richard Kelleher


Fig.46. Scotland. James VI, eighth

coinage, silver eighth-merk ©

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.49. Coins from the wreck of La Girona.

Fig.47. Scotland. James VI, billon

eightpenny groat © Fitzwilliam

Museum, Cambridge.

Fig.48. Scotland. James VI, billon

hardhead © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.50. Spain. Philip II, silver eight reales,

Segovia, 1595 © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.51. Elizabeth I, East India

Company trade coinage, eight

testerns © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.


28/92

‘Portcullis’ MoneyThe 16th and 17th centuries are oftenreferred to as the ‘Age of Discovery.’In this period the dominant Europeanmaritime kingdoms – Spain, England,Portugal, France and the Netherlands –

vied for supremacy over new lands beingdiscovered in the Americas, Africa andthe East. A trade coinage for the first voyage of the ‘Company of Merchants

of London Trading to the East Indies’(mercifully abridged to the East IndiaCompany) was struck in London in1600/1. This comprised four denomina-tions equivalent in weight to the Spanish8, 4, 2 and 1 reales pieces (Figs.51-54).

This article concludes the reign ofthe Tudor monarchs of England and inthe next article I’ll look at the coinage ofElizabeth’s Stuart successor James I.

Further ReadingBateson, J.D. Coinage in Scotland (London, 1997).

Seaby, P. The Story of British Coinage (London, 1985).

Stewart, I.H. The Scottish Coinage (London, 1967).

Sutherland, C.H.V. English Coinage 600-1900 (London, 1973)

Note: Unless stated otherwise, coinsin this article are shown at actual size(100% scale).

Coins of the Tudors and Stuarts Elizabeth I Dr. Richard Kelleher


TH


Company trade coinage, two

testerns © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.


Company trade coinage, one

testern © Fitzwilliam Museum,

Cambridge.

Fig.52.

Elizabeth I,

East India

Company

trade

coinage,

four

testerns ©

Fitzwilliam

Museum,

Cambridge.


29/92

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Telephone +44 020 7016 1700 Fax +44 020 7016 1799 Email [email protected]

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please contact Chris Webb [email protected]

thelberht (858-866) Penny

Sold for £2,160 on 7 December 2015


30/92


31/92

ew will argue with my contentionthat George V was our second-best loved 20th century monarch.His granddaughter Elizabeth won first place decades ago; nev-

ertheless her grandfather earned specialrespect among commoners during his1910-1936 reign. It had something to do with his being pitched unexpectedly intobecoming heir to the throne when hiselder brother died suddenly of pneumo-

nia; and his father’s reign lasting a merenine years. George seemed quite lacklus-tre after his pater’s playboy flamboyancesand aristocratic womanising. The middleand working classes welcomed a newking who seemed determined to workhard and provide the royal family imagemissed since Victoria’s era.

When the First World War explodedfour years into his reign his supportfor our armies saw him regularly visit-ing front lines and military hospitals. Asanti-enemy sentiments boiled in 1917,George changed his Germanic family

name (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) to Windsor.In the same year he stubbornly resistedaristocratic calls for a grant of asylum toTsar Nicholas II and his family, prefer-ring instead to distance himself from the

Russian autocracy. At the war’s endhe gave much attention to improvingconditions for the British working class, welcoming health and safety laws; sup-porting unions and the Labour Partythroughout the depressions of the 1920s.By the 1930s George and his Queen Maryhad undoubtedly grown in their rolesas our monarchs. They were popular,admired and genuinely liked by the com-mon people. The time had come to repay

them for their efforts by laying on a happycelebration of their Silver Jubilee in 1935.

Enter the Boy Scouts and their ambi-tious scheme to fuel beacons aroundthe entire coast of Britain, as well ason every prominent summit across thekingdom ... and to set them all ablaze on6 May that year. The Baden-Powell pub-licity machine began to roll on 3 January when a press release featured simulta-neously in regional newspapers up anddown the land. The Gloucestershire Echo announced:-

BEACON CHAIN FOR ROYAL JUBILEEFLARES TO BE LIT ON CLEEVE AND

CRICKLEY HILLSSCOUTS IN CHARGE

“A chain of beacons across the BritishIsles will mark the Silver Jubilee of KingGeorge on May 6. One-and-a-half hours

after sunset on that day Boy Scouts willlight the blazing chain. Each beacon willbe built not less than 10 feet high, and aseach is put to the torch a rocket with red,green and yellow stars will be fired.

“Throughout the various districts ofGloucestershire Rover Scout groups willbe responsible for building and lightingthe beacons. The Cheltenham and Dis-trict Group are to build two. One will beat the Devil’s Table on Crickley Hill; theother on Cleeve Hill. Two additional hill-tops – May Hill and Matson Hill – havealso been earmarked as possible beacon

sites. It has been proposed that the Rov-ers should establish camp fires at eachduring beacon building, and keep guardat each until dawn. As far as is practi-cable neighbouring counties will link to


Ted Fletcher

George V Jubilee Relics

Fig.1. The

monarchs

for whom

the nation

blazed.

Figs.3a & b. The silver crown

(5 shillings) was the only special

coin of the Jubilee year to find

its way into lots of pockets and

purses. Some were presented as

souvenirs.

Figs.2a & b.

Sovereigns

were

occasionally

seen and

lost during

this reign.

Figs.4-7.

Surprisingly

large numbers

of British

Colonial coins

mingled with

everyday

change in

1935 when

we still had

substantial

remnants of

our Empire.


32/92

form lines of visibility. The consent ofthe Home Office has been given, and theScouts are seeking the co-operation of

police forces and local authorities.”Other newspapers gave additional

general and practical information overthe next few days. They revealed thatevery County Scout Association wasto be supplied with a map on whichto mark suggested beacon sites in itscounty, so that by the beginning of AprilScout HQ in London would be in a posi-tion to produce a complete plan for theentire nation. The Derby Daily Telegraph of 8 January added that local authorities

would shortly receive sanction from theMinistry of Health to spend money on

the celebrations.The Western Gazette of 11 January fol-lowed a more historical line with:

“The interesting suggestion has beenmade that so far as possible the oldbeacon sites should be utilised, manyof which are known from their beingmarked on early county maps. Speed’sand Norden’s maps, published withina generation of the Armada, show agreat many of the old beacon pointsthat linked the whole country by a seriesof Answering Fires which carried newsthe length of the land in four hours.

The system organised at the time of the Armada scare may well have been ofmuch earlier origin. Indeed, from the

disposition of the hill-top camps onecan hardly doubt that a signals systemexisted in Roman and pre-Roman times.

In the 18th century the beacon chains were replaced by lines of semaphoretowers which excited the derision ofCobbett. They were none-the-less veryefficient and persisted until the electrictelegraph rendered them obsolete. Thefires we light on May 6th will forge linksin a chain extending back in time to thehoariest antiquity.”

Long before the end of January sometowns were elbowing for pole positions.For example, Folkestone town council,quoted in the Western Daily Press on 15

January, argued that as an import war-

time port, Folkestone should provide theKey Coastal Bonfire to be fired first, fol-lowed by beacons on either side, to westand east, lighting their fires on receivingFolkestone’s signal, with the chain oflights then spreading on both sides ofFolkestone along the entire coast.

On the Northumberland coast Ber- wick and Tynemouth both promotedthemselves as the premier port; whilethe Shipping Gazette announced that onthe Isle of Man the Tynwald had alreadychosen Snaefell, North Barrule, SouthBarrule, Douglas Head and several oth-

ers to form a ring of fires around theisland as during the Spanish Armada’spassing. They would communicate with



Fig.13. Almscliffe Crag near Harrogate. Photo © Chris Heaton used under a

Creative Commons Licence.

Fig.14. Haresfield Beacon, Glos. Photo© Damon Knight used under a Creative

Commons Licence.

Figs.8-12.

Soldiers

brought many

small denominations

home for youngsters. Larger

denominations fell from pockets

of Colonials who returned to

the home country for the 1935

celebrations.


33/92

mountain tops in England, Wales, Scot-land and Ireland.

Not to be left out of those elbowing

in on Boy Scouts’ territory, the presidentof the Otley Rotary Club, reporting inthe Yorkshire Evening Post on 18 January,suggested that Rotary Clubs throughoutBritain should undertake a national bea-con lights scheme, and that he wouldsubmit the suggestion to R.C. Head-quarters in London. He also mentionedtwo local beacons – Otley Chevin andBeamsley Beacon – that would makeexcellent lights for the Wharfedale dis-trict.

A further trend in newspaper com-ment before the end of January witnessed

more editors harking back to earlier bea-con use. The Selkirk Southern Reporter , forexample, commented that the ancientlighting of beacons in the Borders regionhad always been warnings of warfareacross the Border. In 1935 they wouldserve as a declaration of peace in theBorders and within all the realm of aSovereign whose wise counsel and fineexample have endeared him to all hispeople.

The editor of the Dundee Courier commented on 24 January:-

“It will be like lighting the Fiery Cross

all over again! Nothing of this kind willhave been seen in forty years; since 1897 when beacons were ablaze for Victoria’s

Diamond Jubilee. The Scouts plan is toreuse some of those old beacon sites, butthe youngsters will have their work cut

out getting to the top of Britain’s high-est mountain, Ben Nevis, where a hugefire blazed in 1897. Another site usedfor Victoria’s celebration was on Catlawnear Kirriemuir where a beacon blazedin 1855 to celebrate the fall of Sebas-topol in the Crimean War. Nearer homeDundee Law flashed its fiery message

to Turin Hill and as far as Hunter’s Hillat Glamis. The Laws Hill at Carnoustieand Monument Hill at Comrie were all

part of the wonderful 1897 chain. Evenin the far and flat Shetlands 52 bonfires

were ablaze to flash out their message topassing ships.”

Beneath the heading “More LinksFor The King’s Jubilee” the LancashireEvening Post for 25 January reportedthat Cumberland has chosen Skiddaw,

Ted Fletcher


Fig.16. Leckhampton Hill, Glos. Photo © Bill Boden used under a Creative

Commons Licence.

Fig.15. Millennium Beacon, Upper Hulme,

Staffs. Photo © Dennis Thorley used under a

Creative Commons Licence.

Fig.17. Dumyat near Stirling, Scotland.


34/92

Penrith Beacon and a high point just out-side of Carlisle as beacon sites. “Membersof the Fell & Rock Climbing Association

will assist the Boy Scouts in getting fire- wood and other materials to the sites.The Skiddaw site is the very spot where abeacon was used to warn that The Scotsare coming!”

The Yorkshire Evening Post for 30 Jan-uary was one of the first newspapers tosuggest locations where its readers mightgather and watch multiple beacons burstinto flames as the Boy Scouts performedon 6 May. Ingleborough, Mickle Fell and Whernside were suggested as locationsfrom which beacons in the Lake District would be in view given clear skies on the

night. The last time a chain of beacons was lit – on the night of the Peace Cel-ebrations on 19 July 1919 – rockets, flaresand beacon fires burning on Inglebor-ough were seen from Pendle Hill thanks



Fig.18.Roseberry

Topping,

N. Yorks.

Photo

© Frank

Glover

used

under a

Creative

Commons

Licence.

Figs.19-22. Beacon

building and guarding.

Civilians joined in and

often built their own.


35/92

to excellent visibility. The correspondentcontinued,

“Here are other locations in York-

shire where magnificent views over longdistances can be enjoyed:-“Wood Hills, Grafton, near Borough-

bridge commands views for thirty-fivemiles across the wide Vale of York and asfar as Selby; as well as to Wilton Beaconon the Yorkshire Wolds.

“Whitestone Cliff, near Thirsk. Ona clear day you can watch a train leave York and follow its progress all the wayto Darlington.

“Rosedale Abbey Bank in Ryedsale,North Yorks, offers a great panoramaacross the moors.

“Leavening Brow, adjacent to MountFerrant Castle, North Yorks, commands views across the Wolds Valley.

“Pennyghent, near Settle in the York-shire Dales. You can glimpse MorecambeBay and the Lake District mountainsfrom here.

“Bowland Knotts, five miles north ofSlaidburn. View Pendle Hill and Ingle-borough from here.

“Leyburn Shawl. This limestone out-crop offers an extensive prospect of thegreater part of Wensleydale.

“Beacon Hill, Richmond. Glimpse the

North Sea, much of County Durham,and south to York Minster.

“Halfpenny House Moor, three miles

from Catterick. You can see six Englishcounties from here – Northumberland,Durham, Lancashire and the three Rid-ings of Yorkshire.

“Tan Hill, Swaledale. View severalcounties and enjoy a pint in the highestpub in England.”

The Hull Daily Mail of 5 Februaryreported that the North Riding of York-shire has proposed that three beaconsshould be lit: at Whitestone Cliff, whichis above the famous gliding site nearSutton Bank; at Roseberry Topping nearGuisborough; and at Rosedale Tops

overlooking a vast stretch of moorlandbehind Pickering. All three were the sitesof beacons lit to spread news of Napo-leon’s final defeat in 1815.

The Gloucester Citizen was one of thefirst newspapers in Britain to discussother activities as part of a programmethat might take place close to the timethe beacons were to be fired. The 6February report said:-

“Residents of Stonehouse parish met yesterday to plan the setting up andfiring by local Boy Scouts of a beacon onDoverow Hill on May 5th. A torchlight

procession, a carnival, sports in the localrecreation ground, and the hiring of aband will also be arranged.”

The Cheltenham Chamber of Com-merce published details of the Jubileeprogramme to take place in the town.Here are the paragraphs relevant to ourpurposes:-

“Afternoon ... Tea and cakes forschoolchildren served in their class-rooms. Distribution of Jubilee souvenirsamong the children.

“Evening ... Procession of decorated vehicles. Beacon fires on Cleeve Hill andLeckhampton Hill. Torchlight processionto the hills. Jubilee Ball later at the TownHall 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.”

On 1 May, just five days beforethe beacon firings, the Taunton Courier reported that the 500 cyclists who aretackling a 2,215-mile Round BritainRelay that ends at Buckingham Pal-ace will qualify for one of the souvenirbronze medallions being struck to markthe Jubilee.

Across the nation, employers,mayors, council officials, regional com-mittees all announced distributions onthe Big Day (or evening) of Jubilee mugs, Jubilee spoons, Jubilee badges and Jubi-lee medallions. In Ballymena, Antrim,


Ted Fletcher

Figs.23-26. Silver, bronze and copper souvenirs givenaway, and often lost, on the Big Day.


36/92

souvenir tins of toffees to which medal-lions had been attached made childrensmile ... as did the chocolate medallions

which the very young seemed to preferto medallions for pinning to school uni-forms. The distribution of the toffees andmedallions was extended a few days laterto every child under 15 living in County Antrim. Robertsbridge Council in Sus-sex gave 240 embossed silver medallionsdepicting the King and Queen to local

schoolchildren. Portsmouth gavea similar medallion to every

child of school age.Lack of space prevents

detailed mention ofthe large crowds that

turned out to witnessthe firing of beaconssited fairly close totowns. Let the Ports-

mouth Evening News headlines for 7 May tell

the story for the entire nation. Theyannounced:-

“Thousands Swarm To Portsdown.

Jubilee Beacon Ceremony Huge Success.“1,800 Guides from Portsmouth, 250from Fareham join similar numbers ofBoy Scouts.”

There were pictures, too, of enor-mous beacons. Again, one must serve forall. The following was the caption andstory of the Jubilee bonfire on BrimmondHill, Bucksburn, Aberdeen:-

“Jubilee bonfire on Brimmond Hill,Bucksburn, 1935.

“During the 16th century, BrimmondHill, in the parish of Newhills, was des-ignated the site of a warning beacon,

or ‘fyer bitte’, to be lit in the event of aSpanish invasion. In more recent times,celebratory bonfires on Brimmond havemarked important national events. Inthis photograph, we see the bonfire builtin honour of the Silver Jubilee of KingGeorge V and Queen Mary. An adver-tisement in the local press intimatedthat Lady Orr, Wardenhill, will set alighta thousand loads of wood to blaze sky-high the Loyal Greetings of Bucksburnand all the Parish of Newhills. This is thebiggest bonfire in Britain. A wonderfulspectacle.”

Around these beacon and bonfiresites (examples illustrated) thousands of visitors lost their souvenirs. Your localnewspaper can guide you to the verylocations where most of those souvenirsstill lie in the ground. No need to takefuel to light another bonfire. Just take your detector and your eyes will light up when you make your finds.



Ted Fletcher

TH

Figs.27-

32. More

examples of

souvenirs

you might

find.

Figs.33-35. Other losses likely to

be recovered when you search

around these sites.


37/92

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Treasure Hunting April 2016